The county art museum: A great place to hang

On any given Friday evening, hundreds of people gather at a popular spot where they can listen free to live jazz, sip drinks, munch on snacks from a celebrity chef and check out singles of all ages and ethnicities. This is no trendy bar -- it’s the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Since April 1992, LACMA has offered free live jazz on Friday nights in the Times Mirror Central Court, a grand name for the space between the Anderson and Hammer buildings. But there’s more than music in the air -- perhaps it’s the wafting pheromones of an audience that’s largely young and single. Because what began a decade ago as a tentative experiment to lure museum-goers in the off hours -- and soon developed into one of the city’s top live music programs -- has lately evolved into a raging singles scene.

Museum workers set up 150 or so chairs near the stage, while another 100 or so seats are set up farther back, clustered around small cafe tables. Serious music lovers come as early as 3 or 4 p.m. to secure a seat near the front for the concerts, which run from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Fridays from April through the end of December.

Dorrance Stalvey, who has worked for LACMA for more than 30 years, books the bands for these festivities, as well as all live music programming at the museum. Pianist Frank Strazzeri was the first act a decade ago, and Stalvey has had everyone from Kurt Elling and the late Horace Tapscott to Brad Mehldau and Nels Cline on the small stage.

Joachim Splichal’s Patina Catering runs the food and beverage operation. During the summer months, visitors can order from a barbecue stand; otherwise, the hungry can seek high-end nourishment from Pentimento, more casual (and less expensive) fare at the self-serve Plaza Cafe, or grab a cappuccino from a cart stocked with Illy Caffe products.

But most of the action revolves around the bar. While music lovers gravitate toward the seats, singles who come for the scene -- sometimes 1,000 or more -- mill around at the back. “We sell a few hundred drinks on a slow night,” says one bartender who declined to give his name. Favorites among the jazz crowd include sparkling wine from Roederer Estate, apple martinis, cosmopolitans and Cognac.

Anthony Tahan, 31, has attended half-a-dozen Friday evening jazz performances at LACMA over the last three years.

“It’s something fun to do,” he says. “You can hang out here for a while and think about what to do with the rest of the evening.” He doesn’t even bother to check to see which band is playing. “I like the place, the din, the people.”

Visiting LACMA for the first time, Frederick Vincent, 30, likes what he sees. “It’s gonna be a regular thing for me. The women you’d meet here,” he speculates, “are higher caliber, and they like quality music.

“The guys in my office will like it here,” Vincent says, sipping a Glenfiddich and looking around.

For first-time visitor Justin Ware, 30, Fridays at LACMA offers a serene setting to “sit and talk, and enjoy a glass of wine. So much of L.A. is crowded and super hip. This is more mellow, relaxing,” he says, drinking a glass of merlot.

His friend, Shana Furlow, 30, lives nearby and has attended several times in the past. “I enjoy the whole experience,” she says, sipping chardonnay. “It’s quintessential L.A. -- outdoor jazz on a Friday night in the winter.”

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LACMA Friday Night Jazz

Where: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd.

When: Fridays through Dec. 27, 5:30 p.m.; resuming in April

This Friday: Julie Kelly Sextet.

Info: www.lacma.org for artist info, or (323) 857-6000